The first Scottish same-sex marriages will take place in Scotland on Hogmanay, 31 December 2014, it was announced today.

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act is expected to come into force on 16 December, meaning the first same-sex weddings will take place on 31 December, after the standard 15-day waiting period.

Meanwhile, Scottish couples who are already in a civil partnership will be able to switch to a marriage from the moment the law comes into effect on 16 December by making an appointment with a registry office.

In addition, the law eliminates the "spousal veto", enabling transgender people who are already married to remain in their marriage without starting divorce proceedings.

The Scottish parliament voted overwhelmingly to legalise same-sex marriage in Febuary this year.

The announcement means that by the end of this year same-sex marriages will have taken place in all parts of the UK apart from Northern Ireland, where a change in the law remains unlikely in the short term.

Jim Waterson is a politics editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.